Walls
by BlairSpinX
Summary: Walls are good for building a house, but not for building a relationship. VergilxOC DantexTrish


The chirps of a mother bird singing to her young was the ambiance that accompanied the soft rays of light peeking through the needles of the pine trees outside. The shimmery glow found its way through the sheer curtains of the bedroom window, kissing his ivory face good morning. A tendril of his white hair trembled slightly with the steady rhythm of his breathing before his nose twitched and his eyes began to open. Blinking slowly, he moved only slightly before settling again; He wanted to stay there forever.

The passed few weeks Vergil had been getting some of the best sleep of his life and he was loving it. No more living in that cramped little apartment with noisy neighbors and odd smells wafting through the ventilation system. No more coming home to find that there was no place in front of his building to park the car. No more annoying so-called maintenance men invading his space to make mediocre repairs. No more living with a bunch of people who caused constant strife. And no more having to be mindful of walls being so paper thin, strangers could hear him whisper. Okay, so that was a bit of a stretch but still...he knew his ex-neighbors and ex-roommates were privy to things he would have rather kept secret when he got odd looks during visits to common areas and heard not so discreet whispers from those who had obviously heard he and his wife's _business_ the night before.

It was confirmed, living in a home was far more fitting for him than living in an apartment. But beyond that, it was fitting for his queen. Vergil turned his head slightly, gazing out the window across the bedroom at nothing in particular as he got lost in his thoughts. For years he had painfully observed his wife's displeasure at living in that place. From being harassed by roommates, to being annoyed by the cackling hens in the rent office, she had endured quite a bit and her level of dislike for the entire situation was very obviously off the charts. This was her situation when they came together and as soon as he moved in with her, he knew he had to get her out of there.

Finally, just a few weeks prior to this moment, he had been blessed to be able to put his wife in a castle of her own. He smiled at the memory of when he told her they were moving. The glow that shone behind those big brown eyes of hers melted his heart; He told her he'd take care of her when he married her after all and he meant it wholly. Granted, they had also brought with them the few closest to them because the house he purchased was pretty big, it was a situation they had both been pleased with. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath and reached to gently trace his fingers over the place where she lay when he closed his eyes to sleep the previous night.

_She must be in the kitchen._

Sitting up slowly, he stretched as he ran a hand through his hair to push it back into it's usual fashion. A smirk slid onto his face as he glanced down and he scanned his eyes across the room before they finally settled on what he was looking for. Moving the blankets from his waist and turning, his feet met the shaggy carpet as he grabbed his shirt from the floor and slung it over his shoulder.

_I'm sure I had this on when I got into bed last night..._

Standing, he walked a little further to grab his pajama pants before furrowing his brows as he glanced over the room again.

_Where did they end up...? I suppose I'll just wear these pants then._

Taking another deep breath and resolving to look some more later, he padded his way into the bathroom feeling quite carefree.

* * *

His eyes narrowed and he bit his bottom lip gently as he moved quickly and silently with his hands reaching forward. A small squeal rang throughout the room followed by a muffled chuckle from him as he leaned down and buried his face into the side of her neck.

"Vergil...!"

He laughed as he nipped and squeezed her in his embrace.

"What did I tell you about doing that?" Ari grumbled, but her tone was playful as she reached one hand behind her to hug him back as she used her other to stir the eggs in the skillet in front of her.

"I forgot." he answered innocently and he knew without even looking at her that she was rolling her eyes.

"_Sure_ you did. You just like to freak me out."

"Is that what you think?" he kissed her neck before resting his chin on her shoulder to stare into the sizzling pan, "You're somewhat correct, but not quite."

"Oh really?" Ari drawled as she reached to turn off the heat, "And just what do you mean by that?"

"I don't like to _freak you out_, I just like to freak you..."

Ari gasped as she tried to turn to look at him but she couldn't as he locked her in place and laughed before kissing her on her cheek.

"You're so bad."

"Oh, I am just _the worst_ aren't I?" he mocked, "But...do you like it?"

"Yes." Ari smirked.

"That's all I care about."

"Alright, alright, break it up in here; This is a _G_ rated area folks!"

Vergil's expression went from tender to bored at the sound of that voice, "Why are you so annoying Dante...?"

"Woah, hey, I'm just saying. I don't need you two getting it on, on the counters or something. People make food in here y'know." Dante sat down at the little nook table next to the wall, peeling open a magazine that he had brought with him, "What are we eating?"

Some things never change. Of course he didn't expect it to since Dante seemed to always get a kick out of picking on the two of them whenever he could. No matter what, he'd always find some way to try and make them feel awkward. Sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't, but Dante was Dante no matter what. Of course, Vergil was Vergil too.

"We?" Vergil slid his arms from Ari's waist and stood to his full height, turning to face his twin. "_You_ are eating whatever Trish is going to prepare for you. What Ari is preparing is for _her and I_."

"Oh c'mon, don't be stingy. Trish is showering and she takes forever in there. I'm starving!"

Vergil smirked, flicking Dante's ear as he passed by him to get a bottle of water. "Well that's too bad now, isn't it brother?"

Dante attempted to slap Vergil's hand but missed him by a hair and he growled, "Jerk. But hey, listen, so about work, moving forward..."

Of course with moving locations, Vergil knew that Dante had to get himself re-situated with doing business. Not that he was getting jobs by the minute or anything, but he knew from the times they had spoken about the growing of the team and the addition of the new assets, he wanted to keep their new address a secret once they moved. This had come after quite a few situations that had put their family's safety at risk and they no longer wanted that to be an issue. Instinctively, given what had happened to them and their mother during their childhood, they were both determined to avoid the same mistake their father made.

Vergil could tell that when he and Ari had offered Dante and Trish the chance to move with them, Dante was relieved to have a chance to start over by moving to a completely new location. Very solemnly, his younger brother had made a very serious point that he would keep their new address confidential no matter what, which was something Vergil had already decided in his mind to do as well.

Along with that however, Dante had to make a few changes here and there to ensure he could start things fresh, and one major rule that was added to the mix was that if Dante was to operate from an office within the house, then meeting with contacts and clients there was completely out of the question. For obvious reasons, Vergil had decided that Morrison would be the only one who would be allowed access and they knew he would keep their location confidential. In addition, any calls would have to be to and from a cell phone instead of a landline. No exceptions on either of those points. Vergil made sure he communicated to Dante as firmly and as seriously as possible and Dante readily agreed without incident.

Vergil walked over as he opened his water and leaned against the counter, looking at Dante expectantly.

"I'm calling for a meeting today with the whole team so we can talk about roles and operations and all that. Morrison's gonna come by too so he can meet those he hasn't yet and so he can update us on what he's digging up."

Ari furrowed her brows as she started plating the breakfast.

"Good morning everyone." Trish sauntered into the kitchen as good mornings echoed back to her, heading straight for the refrigerator to rummage through it, "What's this about a meeting?"

"Whole team's gonna meet today. Morrison's coming." Dante responded without looking up as he turned a page in his magazine.

"Oh, Okay."

"Who hasn't Morrison met yet?" Ari asked over her shoulder.

"Well, now that I think about it, the only one he hasn't met yet really is Lucia, I think." Dante scratched absent-mindedly at his chin and the whole kitchen went silent as two sets of eyes were suddenly on him. Vergil tried to read the expression on Ari's face but was having a bit of difficulty deciphering it.

"Lucia?" Trish's tone was odd, "I thought she was overseas."

"She was." Dante closed his magazine and set it on the table, leaning back slightly and locking his fingers behind his head. "I figured she could be a big help to the crew; A kind of overseas liaison, y'know. That opens up a whole 'nother arena for jobs. Plus, she can be an extra hand of help too."

"Hm." Trish was unimpressed as she began preparing some food on the counter. "That's news to me. We hadn't talked about that you know."

Dante winced as he stood up and stretched, "Yeah, sorry about that, I meant to mention it to you, but it completely slipped my mind."

Trish hummed but didn't bother to look at him as he started to leave the kitchen.

"It's in a few hours and I figure we can all meet in the dining room. Lady should be coming too and I gotta ask the kid if he heard back from Nico yet. But it shouldn't take any more than 30 minutes, an hour tops." Dante's expression was solemn and Vergil silently glanced between him and Trish before looking back at Ari trying to figure out why her demeanor shifted so quickly.

There was a sudden tension in the air that was so obvious, it was ridiculous but no one voiced it at all.

"I'll be right back. Gonna hit the can real quick, then go upstairs to talk to the kid and I'll be back down for breakfast." Dante left the room and, although she didn't look up from the food in front of her, Vergil noticed Trish narrow her eyes slightly.

Pushing himself off the counter he went to rest one of his hands in the small of Ari's back. He saw her tilt her head to regard him slightly, but she didn't look up at him, not even when she spoke.

"Go ahead and go to the table babe, I'll bring your plate to you, okay?" Vergil could tell that she was trying to keep something from bleeding through her tone but he couldn't figure out what it was; He suddenly felt like something was very wrong and it concerned him but he didn't want to press the issue with others around so he kissed her cheek once more before doing what she instructed.

* * *

Breakfast was done in completely awkward silence and as everyone finished they quickly excused themselves to clean up their dishes. Vergil was the last one to leave the table and once he put away his plate, he made his way to his bedroom. He entered and slowly closed the door behind himself, watching Ari shuffle through some clothes. His suspicions that something was wrong only grew when he saw that she didn't even bother to acknowledge his presence when he came in.

Walking across the room to where she was, he gently reached out to her and stilled her hands. Ari looked up at him with a confused expression on her face.

"What's wrong?"

Ari was silent for a few beats as he watched her silently study his face.

"Did you know Lucia was coming on board?" her tone was a mix of annoyance and something else.

Vergil tilted his head, "That was the first I had heard of that. He hadn't told me anything of it."

"Why is he bringing her on _now_? Wasn't everything fine as it was?" Vergil could hear anger seeping into her tone.

"I'm not sure why he decided to make such a move at this time. But I can tell something about this is bothering you. What's going on?" Concern was written all over his face.

Ari ignored Vergil's question as she moved away from him to stand across the room and his eyes followed her, "Why does he think it's a good idea to have her around, working with us? What was he thinking?"

"Perhaps he wasn't."

"Hah! You got that right. He wasn't, obviously." Ari shook her head with a look of disgust marring her features, "This doesn't make any sense." Ari suddenly spun on her heels and gazed pointedly at him, "And who is she supposed to be partnered with when she's being 'an extra hand'? She doesn't like me, Trish or Lady. So she's going to be hunting with you, Dante, and Nero then? A chick hanging with a bunch of guys?"

"Dante didn't say one way or another and I have no idea what is going on in his head. Remember, this is the first I am hearing of this as well, so all of these questions I don't have the answers to either." Vergil stepped forward and Ari crossed her arms, "But why are you reacting in this extreme manner?"

Vergil stared at her silently as she turned to straighten something on the nightstand next to their bed. Thoughts were flying through his head and he started to believe he may have an idea of what was happening here, but he still wasn't completely certain..."Ari, talk to me. You're obviously very upset about this and I want to know what's really going on here."

"I'm not upset." Ari brushed passed him and began to shuffle through her clothes again.

"You are."

"I'm not."

"Why are you lying to me?" Vergil asked her pointedly.

Ari turned to face him and glared, "Why are _you_ so stubborn? Aren't you listening? I told you, I am fine." She walked passed him to go into the bathroom and he followed her.

Ari stood at the sink and grabbed her brush as she began fussing with her dark brown curls. Vergil crossed his arms and leaned against the wall as he watched her through the mirror.

"_You_ are the stubborn one. Tell me what's wrong."

"Why are you so persistent?"

"Because I have to be. Now answer me."

Ari rolled her eyes and was defiantly silent. Vergil had a feeling she would do this but he wasn't willing to let her just dismiss him and bottle up what she was dealing with. He had known that routine all too well and he could tell when she was closing up. Ari slammed her brush down on the counter and pushed passed him to leave the bathroom. Vergil followed her and quickly closed the distance between them, reaching out to grab her hand and stop her from running away.

"Stop!" Ari had snatched herself out of his reach and was glaring up at him with an intensity he hadn't seen since before they got together.

Vergil could feel his breathing quicken at the sight of the rage he could see in her eyes and he began to feel something akin to panic rising within his core. To see her like this was extremely out of the ordinary and he was suddenly on edge.

"What are you afraid of?" his eyes narrowed and his tone was serious and low.

"I'm not afraid of _anything_." Ari grit through her teeth as she challenged his stare boldly.

"You're lying!"

"No I'm not!"

"WHAT are you afraid of?!" Vergil's voice was raised a little louder and as he reached his hand out to her again, she smacked it away but he quickly recovered and firmly held her by both of her arms.

"Stop it Vergil!" tears began to well up in her eyes as she turned her face away from him and wrapped her fingers around both of his arms, letting her nails bite into his skin, "Let go of me!"

Vergil clenched his jaw at the sight of her tears but he did not release her from his hold, "What are you afraid of?"

"Leave me alone!"

"NO. Do you think I don't know fear when I see it woman?! You're telling _me_ you're not afraid? Have you forgotten who you're trying to tell that to? Tell me what is scaring you!" Vergil was beginning to break down and his smooth voice was trembling slightly as he borderline pleaded with her. He couldn't let her do this to herself; He had experienced the effects of what she was trying to do for too long to let her walk the same dark, and unforgiving road.

Ari tried to shake herself free but to no avail, "What do you think Vergil?! I'm suddenly being told that some woman who offered sex to _my husband_ last time she came around is now going to be working with us every day. What do you expect?" her voice was raised and trembling.

_There it is._

Vergil furrowed his brows and looked at her as she finally let the walls come tumbling down. She looked up into his eyes, tears streaming down her caramel-colored face as he felt her body tremble.

"Y-you're...mine. You're mine, Vergil... You're...mine..." Ari repeated over and over as she stopped struggling against him and weeped deeply.

Vergil closed his eyes and let out a deep breath as he pulled her to himself in an embrace before lifting her into his arms to carry her to the reclining chair that sat across from their bed. Sitting down, he nestled her onto his lap and snuggled her to himself, whispering in her ear and kissing her tears away as she kept repeating the same thing over and over again, "I am. I am, darling. I am yours."

He remembered that day she spoke of. Lucia had visited a few years ago because of an assignment she was working on with Dante; As a result, she ended up staying with all of them over the course of the mission. To make a long story short, she eventually began to develop a crush on him and one evening she caught him alone and decided to take the chance and offer herself to him, despite knowing he was married.

It disgusted him to no end.

Vergil had always had a deep contempt for those who did not respect the bond of marriage; Something he had picked up during his childhood. And Lucia had stepped sorely over the line approaching him in such a way. What kind of man did she think he was? There is no honor in adultery and for a man to stoop so low as to whore himself out in such a way was beyond disgusting. Needless to say, in a few choice words he rejected her _offer_ and had informed his wife of what had happened. Their communication had always been open and honest with each other; they had nothing to hide. Such is the way with a healthy marriage; this is why he was so alarmed when Ari seemed to try to close up.

_No matter what, we must always fight the temptation to put those walls back up._

He knew very well that both of them had a history of building walls. Not only that, but she had been betrayed by those that she should have been able to look up to and used different distancing tactics along with that to protect herself from further pain; He understood that very well. But he also knew that they now had to fight those very instinctive habits when it came to each other. They promised one another that they wouldn't let the other fall back into those bad habits with each other, no matter what. It had been a slow uphill battle, but one that was consistently moving forward and for that, Vergil was thankful.

He looked down at her and put a gentle finger under her chin; Lifting her face, they gazed at one another. He could feel a faint sting in his eyes as she continued to cry softly.

"I'm not going anywhere. You know that right?" Vergil's voice was barely above a whisper.

Ari nodded.

"When I married you, I gave myself to you for life." He wiped a rolling tear from her cheek. "I am yours and yours alone; you're the only one I want and will ever want for the rest of my days. You're stuck with me woman and there's no turning back."

Ari giggled softly and Vergil smiled tenderly.

"Do you love me?"

"Yes, I love you Vergil." Ari reached up, wiping a lone tear, that he didn't realize was there, from one of his eyes.

"And I love you too, darling." Vergil closed his eyes and gently squeezed her in his embrace, "That's why when we do have our spats, we fight so hard..." he pulled back to look at her, "...because we love each other so much."

Ari nodded.

"My mother told me that once. She said, 'The more you love someone, the harder you fight.'" He let his fingers dance idly along her shoulder as he continued speaking. "...'but it's not you fighting _with_ the one you love, it's you fighting _for_ the one you love.'"

At that, Ari smiled and closed her eyes as she snuggled herself closer to him and he cradled her to himself. Vergil was sure a very important point was made that day. In the end, the events that unfolded spoke to something much deeper that needed to be addressed, and they both got exactly what they needed in each others arms.


End file.
